ComfortDelGro To Enter Fuel Retail in Singapore

With the objective to serve its growing fleet of hybrid taxis, and possibly, a larger fleet of private-hire cars once its alliance with Uber is approved, Transport giant ComfortDelGro has developed its first fuel service and entered the fuel retail business segment.

The fuel service stations at ComfortDelGro's Sin Ming Drive premises have been operating for close to a year, while another in Bukit Batok started up towards the end of last year, which will be joined by fuel service stations at two other company-owned locations later this year.

ComfortDelGro, in addition to taxi operators, have been selling diesel at discounted rates to their cabbies since the 1990s, though ComfortDelGro is the first to enter petrol retail. In 2011, Toyota Prius hybrid was added to its fleet and the move follows this. Hybrids now make up 18 per cent of Singapore's total taxi fleet of around 23,000, according to the Land Transport Authority.

ComfortDelGro's conventional fuel - available only in 95 octane - is priced lower than commercial stations outside, like its diesel and is presently retailing at $1.56 a liter - some 30 cents lower than the discounted rates offered by fuel company-run stations.

ComfortDelGro gets its fuel supply from Caltex, which commented, "We are supportive of a healthy, competitive environment, and believe trade should also be fair. We are not against approved ancillary unit points required by transport-related companies to serve their own fleet of vehicles."